Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Despite the very limited play it is getting in the mainstream United States media, Iraq continues the downward spiral into wider regional war. Turkish troops and warplanesregularly engage Kurdish troops inside the borders of Iraq. Of course, Iraq central government is both powerless to stop it and ill-incentivized to defend Kurdish citizens of the state. As the Clarion Content has repeatedly warned the "state" of Iraq is an illusion created in the mind of a Western mapmaker. A dictator like Saddam Hussein might have been able to hold it together by brute force, secret police, torture and intimidation, but those days are over. The "state" is disintegrating.

The Clarion Content is drawn to this race because although Goode claims to have Libertarian philosophies, we are strongly opposed to several of his positions. Goode is against equal rights for homosexuals, strongly against abortion rights and anti-immigrant. Of course, the Clarion is predisposed at least slightly against all Congressional incumbent candidates. But Representative Goode has had a whiff of scandal around him too, he was connected to the same company California congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham was convicted of being bribed by. No charges were ever brought against Goode. The Clarion Content further opposes Goode because he voted for the Iraq War, and has made comments that are at minimum less than sensitive to Islamic sensibilities, (if not downright prejudiced.)

Tom Perriello on the other hand has a fascinating and atypical background. He received a law degree from Yale and then moved to Africa to actively live out his ethic of service. He worked in Sudan (including Dafur,) Liberia, Sierra Leone and also separately in Afghanistan. Perriello supports the same kind of mindset that the Clarion has been touting as central to our support of Barack Obama; from Perriello's website, "[he] believes that America must reverse the erosion of our commitment to the common good and restore our understanding that our nation rises or falls together."

It is one thing to say such things, it is a far different cry to attempt to live them out through service. One reason the Clarion Content was drawn to Senator Obama was his days as a community organizer in a tough place. One reason the Clarion was drawn to Tom Perriello was his commitment to serving the common good. The Clarion is also cognizant, and frankly appreciative, that neither man feels that he has to deny his faith to participate in politics. America needs more leaders who unhesitatingly point out our obligation to do some good in this world.

It only figures, Senator Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq, his willingness to negotiate with America's enemies and his long term vision are all bad for Al-Qaeda recruiting. Al-Qaeda would much prefer to have the man who envisions American troops in Iraq for 100 years win power. Al-Qaeda prefers the man who like George Bush the II views the world through the prism of an endless conflict between good and evil. Al-Qaeda prefers the man who sees "Islamo-fascism" behind every separatist and nationalist struggle.

Senator McCain, we believe that this was one endorsement that you did not want. However, it should serve as a reminder to all American's that seeing the world through a lens of "Us vs. Them" in a zero-sum death struggle is the vision of its greatest enemy. America should not adopt said vision as their own crusade. It is inherently self-annihilating. Any Americans old enough to have lived through the Cold War should be able to recite a litany of America mistakes; ranging from tragic to disastrous, that came about because of the narrow focus that saw every separatist and nationalist struggle as a battle between communism and democracy.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Yesterday saw one of the type of clashes that are likely to be increasingly common in Iraq as the United States draws down its troop presence and the survivors of the U.S. invasion fight over the spoils. The clash in question occurred in the recently quiet, supposedly, "Mission Accomplished" Anbar province. Xinhua reports fifteen folks were killed and forty wounded in clashes that lasted throughout the night and on into the next day. Speculation about a motive centered around disputed property. In a discouraging, but again not surprising note, Xinhua said, "Local security forces did not step in the fight, but had been put on alert."

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Clarion Content doesn't believe the hype. The news media industry has been all aflutter the last day or two claiming that the polls show a tightening presidential race between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama. The Clarion reminds you that this industry has a huge financial stake in hyping the competitiveness of the presidential race as much as possible.

Only one poll counts, the one election officials have to tally on the evening of November 4th. (Hopefully using the actual votes cast.)

Monday, October 20, 2008

United States Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado has asked Army Secretary Pete Geren to review a slew of violent incidents committed by soldiers stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Because the Clarion's home offices are located not so far down the road from Fort Bragg, North Carolina in Fayetteville, this is an issue that has been on our radar. Like what the Senator has noticed in Colorado, North Carolina has seen a spate of violent incidents associated with Fort Bragg soldiers, many of them tragically related to domestic abuse of spouses and kids.

The Senator's request came to our attention courtesy of the Denver Post, which noted too, that "16 Fort Carson soldiers have committed suicide since the beginning of the Iraq war." An awful statistic that has sadly been far too common near North Carolina's military installations as well.

He concedes that, of course, Obama's priority is winning the election. However he carefully follows and artfully interviews the candidate on the issue of an election mandate. No more of Bush II's arrogant, divisive stance that, "50% plus exactly one vote empowers me to do whatever I want." He says that, "Obama’s central argument about American politics [is] this notion that the cultural fault line in the electorate can somehow be bridged by a generational change in leadership." Bai follows that up quoting Obama to the effect that this cultural fault line is exploited by a relentlessly profit driven media, "...there is an entire industry now, an entire apparatus, designed to perpetuate this cultural schism, and it’s powerful." Bai reminds us that this was an issue Obama wanted to fight as far back as the 2004 convention speech that introduced him to many folks, "when he talked about worshiping 'an awesome God in the blue states' and having 'gay friends in the red states.'" Obama is quoted saying that the cultural divide, the surrounding anger, and partisanship has been the impassable blockade that has prevented action on so many big issues, "if voters are similarly polarized and if they’re seeing two different realities, a Sean Hannity reality and a Keith Olbermann reality, then we’re not going to be able to get done the work we need to get done.” The Clarion agrees.

No matter who wins there are issues that have to be addressed. Among them: immigration, (which neither candidate is talking about,) the coming retirement of the boomers and the strain on Social Security and Medicare, (which McCain at least mentioned in the last debate) and farm subsidies and their brutal effect on the world's poorest. Some issues will always be partisan, some people will always disagree with any course of policy. The Clarion's hope, whichever candidate wins on November 4th, is that America will get a leader who wants to unite people, to raise them up and bring out their best selves, not a leader who uses his election to divide people and bring out their worst, smallest selves.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

NBC News analyst Chuck Todd made a fascinating point tonight just before his network signed off of their presidential debate coverage. He said something to the effect of what a whirlwind the campaign had felt like to him. It has only been sixty or so days since the end of the two major party's conventions. He then contrasted that with the eighteen months spent on the primary campaigns and sighed, "What a waste."

The Clarion couldn't agree more. How could the system be gamed so that we saw eighteen months of Hillary Clinton v. Barack Obama and nearly as much of Mitt Romney v. John McCain? Tonight Clinton and Romney were their party's seconds. They were offered and accepted invitations to speak on NBC News coverage after the debate. They were both solidly on message. But to Chuck Todd's point the country spent eighteen long months dissecting Senator Clinton v. Senator Obama and tonight, two weeks before the big decision, she merited a three minute interview, likewise for Governor Romney. There were months of coverage for a person who tonight was a non-entity, whereas the country has known who the full tickets would be for the major parties for barely two months. Obama and Clinton debated twenty plus times, McCain and Romney debated sixteen times, Obama and McCain three times.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

While this is not ascientificsampling of McCain supporters and the video's linked below are taken by a bias observer, these folks are why the Clarion is worried about the Bradley effect in the polls and Obama. The Bradley effect named after former Los Angeles MayorTom Bradley said that polls for minority candidates consistently overstated their support because what voters did and said varied based on privacy. Today the Clarion heard former (suspect) Virginia Governor, and current Richmond Mayor, Douglas Wilder reference the same in his experience with the polls and the results. He warned the Obama campaign not to be complacent.

One courageous American official has said, "No more. Not on my watch." Sheriff Dart has taken a stand against what for far too long has been the wrong attitude by American civil servants, especially cops; the mantra of 'Protect and Serve' has morphed beneath our noses to 'Enforce.' The people pay the salaries of all government officials, they serve at our pleasure. We at the Clarion applaud Sheriff Dart for his brave act of civil disobedience. Of course, the mortgage companies are suing him and his office. (Somehow after all this they still have the money for fancy lawyers to sue!?!)

The Clarion recalled that the Constitution called for the House of Representatives to vote on who becomes president, but forgot that the vote was one state delegation, one vote, not one representative, one vote (50 votes total, not 535.) Currently the Democrats have a majority of the representatives in 27 states, the Republicans in 21 states. Of course, the elections could change that and there would be all sorts of other factors in play. For instance, what if your state has a majority of one party's people as Congressional Representatives, but the state voted for the other party's presidential candidate on election night, what then? What if your state has an equal number of representatives on each side of the aisle? Our sources say that a hung House of Representatives vote would result in the Senate's choice for Vice-President becoming the President.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

"Of all the things currently wrong with this country—a trillion-dollar war, a flagging real estate market, a crippled stock market, high fuel prices, Lynne Spears, the Jonas Brothers—the fact that nearly everyone with a platform is terrified to say anything might be the most depressing subplot of all. Whatever happened to freedom of speech? Hell, whatever happened to speech?"

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Along the northwestern border of Pakistan in the Bajaur region, straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan, at the forefront of the American conflict with the Taliban and the center of the search for Osama bin Laden local tribes have formed a militia army of their own called a Lashkar. This non-aligned local army may prove the most effective force for routing the Taliban. However, these folks, who are fighting on their own land, often against their own cousins and tribes folk have made very clear the non-aligned nature of their force.

The Taliban, NATO and the US “are all equal for us”, said Malik Manasib Khan, the leader of a lashkar, called up to help Pakistan’s army expel the Taliban and anyone else. “We will fight against America until the last soul if they come to our country,” Khan told reporters in Raghagan, 12 kilometres northeast of Khar.

About Me

The Clarion Content is a Durham, NC based media outlet. We have drawn inspiration from among other sources, Franklin's, Poor Richard's Almanac. We aspire to be a clarion call to action on important political issues, but also we hope to inform and entertain across an array of topics, from food to art to practical advice to things that need to be invented.
We welcome your comments and do our best to respond to them. Comments can be made with a Google ID (if you have Gmail, you have one) or anonymously.
We also encourage reader submitted material. See something cool, outrageous, outlandish, important? Have a great cause or website? Send us the link.
Our community building is only as good as our collective contributions.
We also actively solicit guest columns. We are open to all points of view, especially those that challenge and therefore stimulate our own. Civilized argument is the crucible of great ideas.
If you have any other questions, thoughts, concerns and/or submissions, please do not hesitate to email us at: clarioncontent@gmail.com
Please also email us if any of the links are broken. (be aware that some links will eventually age away...)